Life and Times of the King. (Ch 8!)

[mikinare]

Hey. I thought I'd have a go at writing some fanfiction. It's basically all about Carl although the whole family feature in it a lot.

Just so everyone is clear, Carl is 15 in this fic, Matthew - 20, Max - 12, Jimmy - 24 and he is dating his new girlfriend Sadie.

Hope you enjoy. Let me know if I should keep writing more!! Thanks! =] =]

Chapter One



“Not so fast, young man. Come in here. I want a word with you.”

Carl froze on the fourth stair and closed his eyes in dismay. He had nearly made it inside without being noticed, but his dad had heard that squeaky floorboard and now he was in trouble – BIG trouble.

He cursed under his breath and after a moment walked back downstairs and through the hall to the kitchen. He knew what this was about. He’d heard his dad arguing this morning with his brothers. As soon as he noticed who was all in the room he nearly dived back out the front door.

“Hi, Dad.” Carl greeted quietly, pulling the sleeves of his hoody over his hands.

“Hi, Dad? Is that all you have to say?” Tom stood up from the table. Jimmy and his new girlfriend Sadie giggled to each other. Carl glared at them both. He hated Jimmy’s bird. She was so full of it. They’d been going out for two weeks and she had already declared herself as one of the family.

“I asked you a question.” Tom said. His voice was low and controlled, but his eyes were wide and full of rage.

“Eh, what do you want me to say?” Carl asked chewing his bottom lip. Matthew, his older brother by five years, shook his head and tried to stifle the smirk that crept up the side of his face.

“How about we start with where the petty cash in my office disappeared to and how I found a bottle of whisky hidden under your bed that is half empty.”

“Half full.” Carl muttered. Tom’s eye-brows rose and he grabbed his fifteen year old son by his ear, hauling him close.

“Ow!” Carl cried out, falling into his dad as he lost his balance.

“What is with you?!” Tom roared. “You’re not content with being suspended from school and being escorted home by the police; you’re stealing from me and buying alcohol now!”

“I didn’t steal it. I was going to give it back, honest!” The boy tried to back away out of his dad’s reach once he had released his ear, but Tom cornered him into the kitchen counter.

“I’ve had it up to here with you, Carl. If you don’t get yourself sorted out I’m sending you off to boarding school, do you hear me?”

Carl nodded. It was so unfair. The incident at school wasn’t his fault and he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when the police had showed up at the park.

As for the petty cash and the alcohol……He had taken the petty cash so he could buy a bottle of whisky for Matthew’s 21st birthday next week, but he’d come home one night and watched as a drunken Jimmy and Sadie shot most of it!

Tom slapped him over the head and opened his mouth to yell at him some more when the phone rang. Tom looked towards the open door as the high pitched ring echoed through the hall, then he looked back at his teenage son and finally shook his head.

“I’ve been waiting on this call all day.” He turned to walk out of the kitchen. “Don’t think for one minute this is over.”

Carl waited as his dad stalked out of the room before a growl left his throat and he thumped a fist on the worktop. This was so unfair!

Matthew drained the glass of water he was drinking and then stood up from his seat. He grinned and clamped a hand on his younger brother’s head, the blonde spikes tickling his palm. He shook Carl’s head from side to side and laughed as the fifteen year old batted at his arms.

“Get off!”

“More trouble again, kiddo?” Matthew asked. He dropped the glass in the soapy water that rippled in the sink.

“Shut up, Matt.” Carl grumbled and raked his hands through his hair, trying to get it back to the way he had styled it earlier.

“You are a naughty little boy aren’t you Carl.” Sadie quipped, admiring her newly manicured nails.

“Whatever. What’s it got to do with you?”

“Oi! Don’t you talk to my Sadie like that!”

“Or what Jimmy?” Carl baited. He pushed away from the counter he was leaning against.

“Or I’ll tell dad about scratching his car with your bike last week.”

Carl swallowed and shut his mouth that was open to retaliate. His dad had gone off on one for hours about the large scratch mark that scarred his new convertible. If he ever found out it was Carl on top of everything……..There would only be three King boys left after his dad was through with him.

“You’re the reason I got in trouble in the first place!” Carl yelled, face red with frustration. “If you hadn’t drank all that whisky and I can only guess who told my dad about the petty cash.”

He looked at Sadie who smiled innocently. She had spotted him breaking the mini-padlock that held the cash box together.

“Why did you have drink in the first place, you idiot? You’re only fifteen.” Matthew asked.

“It wasn’t for me! It was for you!” Carl twirled round to face him. “Whatever! Forget it! Get stuffed the lot of you!” And with that he stormed out the back door into the massive garden.

“Carl!” Twelve year old Max ran up to him, football tucked under his arm. “I thought you were going to be home earlier! You missed our TV show!”

“I know, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to come home. Dad has got it in for me again.”

“What have you done now?” Max gave him a disappointed look and then started playing ‘keepy-uppy’ with the ball.

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“It never is.” Max joked. He didn’t understand how his older brother could get into so much trouble.

“Shut up you. Come on. Let’s play some football while I’m still allowed outside.”

“Do you think dad will ground you?”

“Definitely. He is seriously angry. No thanks to that tart in there.”

Max hit Carl’s arm and giggled.

“Don’t say that. Jimmy will kill you if he hears!”

“Jimmy couldn’t hurt a fly. He’s a big softie.”

“He might tell Matthew to do you in.”

Both of them shared a look. They had been terrorised by Matthew all their lives. He was definitely the scariest big brother.

“I could take him.” Carl said, handing goalie gloves to Max. “I’m taking penalties. You’re in goal.”

“You could take Matthew? Don’t make me laugh.” Max accepted the gloves and walked over to the home made goal posts which consisted of a garden chair and Max’s jumper.

“You are skinnier than Auntie Florence and I heard dad say she never eats!”

“Shut up!” Carl gave him a dirty look. He’d been trying to put weight on and build himself up, but no matter what he ate he never gained a single pound.

“Okay, let’s just play some footie.” Max grinned and bent low, ready to save the ball. Carl focused on his aim, ready to forget the argument with his dad for the time being. He knew as soon as his dad had finished the bit of business over the phone he was in for a lecture. Sometimes it felt like everyone was out to get him.

“Come on, Carl! Shoot!” Max called, growing impatient. Carl complied, concentrating on venting all his anger and frustration through the shot. He struck the ball hard and watched it soar down the garden, aiming at Max. Before his brother could react the ball smacked off his face and sent him flying backwards.

“Oh, damn! Max! Are you okay? I didn’t mean to hit you!” Carl cried, running over the grass to his younger sibling. His brother sat up as blood gushed out his nose.

He wailed out in pain and then picked himself up and ran into the house, leaving Carl in the garden.

“Dad!!” Max sobbed after his father as he darted into the kitchen.

Carl closed his eyes and waited. He knew what was coming.

“CARL MICHAEL KING! GET IN HERE NOW!!!!”


You like?? Should I keep going??

[leprecorn]

please post more soon, really good story

[mikinare]

Thank you!! Uh, I'll try get some more posted tonight. Haha. =D

<3

[missking]

hahahaha poor carl its great i love it its right funny post more soon please x

[mikinare]

Here we go. Chapter 2. Sorry it's so late at night. I just got home from a concert. Thank you for commenting. Made me smile!!

Chapter Two


That night after the screaming match from his father and the hour long lecture about how his attitude wasn’t acceptable, Carl lay with an arm draped over his eyes on his bed. He sighed noisily. He was grounded for a full month and he wasn’t allowed to go to football practice after how he treated his youngest brother. He protested it was an accident, but his dad was having none of it. He was to be punished until he changed his ways.

“Unbelievable.” He muttered. He removed his arm and stared at the ceiling. It was seven o’clock and his stomach growled in protest. He had been sent to his room without dinner and he could hear everyone laughing and chatting downstairs without him.

He rolled on to his side and pulled out a comic from his bedside cabinet and began flicking through the pages, not really reading the words, just staring at the pictures. Before he knew it tears were prickling his eyes and he watched a tear fall from his cheek onto the face of the superhero coloured in on the page below him.

Life was really starting to get to him. If it wasn’t his brothers, it was his dad or school or those idiots a few years older than him that liked to give him a good kick in the head every so often. He knew he was feeling sorry for himself, but he didn’t care. Right now his life sucked and he didn’t see anyway to make it better.

A noise from the stairs had him furiously wiping his cheeks and eyes. He licked his lips, cleared his throat and sat up straight on the bed. The comic lay across his lap and he stared down at it. The handle of his door was pulled down and Carl just prayed it wasn’t his dad ready for another round of ‘You’re a waste of space, Carl.’

“Here you are. Max made me promise I’d bring you this.”

Carl looked up and frowned as Matthew stepped into the room with a plate covered in tin foil.

“What is it?”

“Your dinner, you clown.”

Carl stared at him suspiciously. Matthew never went out of his way to help him.

“Why are you bringing me dinner?”

Matthew sighed and shut the bedroom door.

“I told you, Max made me promise to give you this cause he felt bad you got into trouble about his nose.”

“Yeah, well, it was an accident.” Carl said sulkily.

“Shut up and take this before I put it over your head.”

Carl chucked the comic to the bottom of his bed and grabbed the plate out of his big brother’s hands. As he began to tuck in to the Yorkshire Puddings and potatoes, Matthew sat beside him. He stopped chewing his food and stared at Matthew like he was an alien.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m sitting here on your bed. Is that okay?” The older boy replied sarcastically.

“You’re being sort of nice. What you up to?”

“You are worse than Jimmy you are. I just thought I’d keep you company.”

Carl lifted the plate off his knee and folded his arms across his chest.

“What do you want?”

Matthew looked at him for a moment and then smirked cockily.

“Nothing gets past you, does it, Sherlock?”

“There are only ever two times when you are nice to me and that’s when you want me to do something or Christmas morning when your heart thaws out enough to compliment someone.”

Matthew shook his head and then stood up from the bed. Carl’s eyes followed his movements.

“That hurts, Carl. Remember the time I beat up that kid for pushing you off that bike?”

“Yeah, only because you felt bad cause you made me steal the bike in the first place!”

“Or the time I covered for you when you forgot to pick up Max from his piano lesson.”

“That’s cause you forgot to tell me I was supposed to!”

Matthew glared at his younger brother.

“I think we’re straying from the matter at hand.”

“Yeah, which is?”

“I need a favour.”

Carl jumped to his feet.

“No way! No! I am in enough trouble as it is. I don’t need you landing me in it even more!”

“It’s not going to be like that. You just need to collect something for me.”

“I’m not allowed out the house, remember?”

“You don’t need to go out. Not far anyway. Look, it’s Saturday tomorrow and I promised I’d go out with the lads for a couple of drinks at night. You just need to collect a parcel for me at eight o’clock.”

“What parcel?”

“Never mind that. A friend of mine will push it through the fence at the back of the garden and I just need you to go out and get it and then hide it somewhere safe till I get home.”

Carl shook his head.

“No way.”

“What?”

“I’m not doing it, Matt.”

Matthew glowered. He stepped forward slowly and watched as Carl’s stubborn expression changed to one of anxiety.

“I’m not your slave.” Carl stated, but he moved back towards the bed.

“Just do it!”

“I don’t want to.”

Matthew reached out and grabbed Carl’s upper arm, hauling him close.

“Let me go, you big idiot!”

Matt held his brother as he struggled to get free.

“Will you just do as you are told for once?”

“You’re not my dad. You can’t make me do anything!” Carl rolled his hand into a fist and punched Matthew’s chest. Matthew laughed and wrestled his little brother into a headlock.

“Ah, get off!” Carl’s voice was muffled by Matt’s arm.

“Not until you say yes.”

“But your schemes always get me into trouble!”

“You’re not doing anything wrong.” Matthew ran his knuckles over Carl’s head. “You’re just picking up a little package from the garden and hiding it under your pillow.”

“Get off.”

After a moment of Carl scrambling to get free, Matthew released him. They drew daggers at one another until the older boy made another move to grab his brother.

“Okay! Okay!” Carl leaped out of the way of Matt on to his bed. “I’ll do it.”

“Good boy.”

“In one condition.”

“What’s that now?”

“You tell me what is in the package.” Carl folded his arms and looked down at his brother from the bed. Matthew smiled and then quick as a flash grabbed Carl’s ankle. The boy lost his balance and started hopping left to right.

“Let me go! I said I’d do it!”

“Listen to me. You collect this thing and you hide it in a drawer until I come home on Saturday night and then we never speak of it again. If I come home and have the slightest doubt that you’ve not looked at it, I swear, Carl, you won’t be able to sit down for a month!”

“Fine! Whatever! Let my leg go!” Carl’s arms flailed by his side as he tried to find his equilibrium.

Matthew grabbed at his other ankle and flipped him onto his back on top of the bed. He then leaned over his little brother and slapped his cheek lightly.

“So you do know how to do what you’re told. I must tell dad.”

“Shut up.” Carl mumbled. He found himself back in the same position as he was before he had started to read his comic. Matthew left the room and the boy looked to the carpet to see his dinner that had spilt off his bed during the tussle.

“No! Toby! Don’t!” The family’s Great Dane, Toby, dashed into the room catching a whiff of food and began tucking into it greedily.

Carl watched his dinner be devoured and his stomach gave another long growl.

“Great, just great.” He flopped back onto his pillow and threw his arm over his eyes once more.


Feedback would be GREATLY appreciated! =] =]

[rooneyc7]

Great story. Poor Carl. i feel sorry for him xxxxx

[maryg]

Great brilliant ,fantastic, More please.

[missking]

thats mint post more soon plz x

[tomsgirl]

WoW! what a fab story I loved it.
More please soon.

[mikinare]

Thank you for all the feedback!!!

Chapter Three

A hard thud across Carl’s head had him jumping up from under his quilt, feeling disorientated and very confused.

“What? What?” He stammered out, looking around his room and trying to drag his sleepy brain into the land of reality. He blinked and rubbed at his head wondering what the hell had hit him. As his eyes began to focus and his mind caught up to the situation he spied Matthew standing with a pillow in his hands. Behind him Max laughed.

“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”

“Ohh, get lost.” Carl groaned and sank back under the covers. He covered up his head and closed his eyes willing his brothers to leave him alone.

“Up! Up!” Matthew started whacking him with a pillow on top of the covers and then a second attack across his legs began which he could only assume was Max.

“Can’t you guys just leave me alone?!” He demanded angrily from beneath the safety of his quilt.

“I want to double check about the little favour you agreed to.” Matthew stalled the pillow attack. “You know how empty that head of yours is. I want you to be clear about what you’ve to do.”

“What’s he got to do, Matt?” Max asked, curious as ever. Matthew, clearly forgetting Max was in the room, gave him the evil eye.

“Scram, Squirt.”

Max dashed out the room as Matthew ripped back the covers.

“Do I really have to do this? It’s got trouble written all over it.”

“Well be glad you’re well acquainted with trouble, eh?”

“What is it you want to tell me?”

Matthew went over the plans once more and threatened his life again if Carl opened the parcel. Suspicion surfaced in the younger boy. It seemed this package was extremely important to Matthew.

“It’s nearly twelve. You better get ready. Dad’s wants you to wash all the cars.”

Carl rolled his eyes.

“This is so unfair.” Carl complained, walking over to his wardrobe and pulling out a pair of jeans.

“You sound like a girl when you whine like that.”

“Shut up.”

“Never going to happen, kid.”



Carl glanced at his watch. It was half seven. He breathed out slowly feeling butterflies in his stomach. He couldn’t explain the bad feeling surrounding Matthew’s plan.

“Have fun tonight, Carl. Alone.” Sadie teased. She pinched his cheek as she walked past the teenager, who was sitting on the couch in the living room. Carl clenched his jaw in annoyance and flipped her off behind her back. Jimmy gave him a good slap across the back of his head.

“I saw that, you.”

Carl looked up at him moodily. Jimmy rolled his eyes.

“You’re getting too old to sulk. Here, I’ll let you listen to this if you stop looking like a smacked backside.” The older boy handed Carl his newly bought cassette tape of some band he was obsessed with. Carl smiled briefly.

“Aww, nice one, Jimbo!”

Jimmy laughed. “Dad has gone out for a few drinks and you need to make sure Max gets to bed at a reasonable hour. Same with you.”

“I will.”

“If I come home and find you two asleep on this couch with the TV on and popcorn everywhere I’m not going to be happy. Last time I had to spend an hour cleaning up after you two and it was murder trying to get you into bed before Dad got home.”

Carl smirked.

“We’ll be good.”

Jimmy gave him a skeptical look.

“There is money on the table in the hall if you want something from the ice-cream van.”

“Okay.”

“Bye. Behave!” Jimmy called as he left the two youngest members of the family alone in the house.

For the next half hour Carl killed time by listening to the cassette tape and playing Chinese checkers with Max. At five to eight, he stood up and made his way into the conservatory so he could look out into the back garden.

The house was eerily quiet. Max had gone to his room to watch a movie and Toby and Roxie, the dogs, were asleep in front of the fire. The fence at the back of the garden was shadowed by hedges and trees and behind it were fields and farmland. He had heard his dad talking about buying more land and expanding the house. The business most be going well, he thought. They had moved into their house about ten years ago and then a few years later when their mother past away, Tom had thrown himself into work becoming wealthier and more powerful with everything he did. There seemed to be no limits to the amount of money his father made or the amount of business he became involved with. Carl couldn’t imagine working every day and all day. He wanted to be a footballer or travel around the world. He didn’t think he’d be able to cope with what his father and two elder brothers did for a living.

Jimmy was his father’s right hand man, but Matthew was showing he could be as cold and calculated as their dad when it came to getting what he wanted. It all just seemed rather boring to Carl.

A rustle of leaves had his attention being drawn to the bottom left corner of their garden. He glanced at his watch. Eight o’clock dead on. He opened the door to the conservatory and walked down the stone steps onto the grass. The spring breeze made goosepimples spread round his body.

“Kid, hurry up!” A voice behind the fence barked at him and he jogged towards the boy.

“You’re Matt’s little bro, right?”

“Yeah.” Carl could see through the gap in the fence that the boy was ages with Matthew, had scruffy brown hair and his black zipper was zipped up to his neck. His eyes kept darting from side to side.

“Take this then. Tell your brother he owes me big time.”

Carl nodded and moved some branches aside so he could reach for the package the boy had pushed through the fence. As soon as Carl had a grip on the brown paper, the older youth sprinted off across the field.

“Weirdo.” Carl muttered under his breath. He tucked the rectangular object under his jumper and marched back inside the house. In record time he was up in his room, sitting cross legged on his bed with the package in front of him.

He stared at it with curiosity building inside him. It wasn’t heavy or particularly big. Just a long rectangular shape. Matt’s threat rang in his ears, but his determination to discover what had his older brother so spooked was overwhelming. His index finger slid under a groove of folded paper and with a tug the cellotape gave way. The ripping of the wrapped object sounded so loud. Soon the paper was off and he pulled the object free. It lay across one open palm. It was a long, then, grey envelope.

The voice in his head egged him on. Open it. Open it.

He complied and ripped it open quickly. Inside were photographs and a cassette tape. He licked his lips in anticipation as he pulled out the photographs.

Familiar faces in the pictures stared up at him, but he couldn't believe what he was seeing was true. This would mean.....

“Oh my god.” The boy whispered as realization began to sink in.


Ohh, cliff-hanger. Haha. You like so far?

[missking]

ooo i wonder what is it or whats going to happen its great post more really soon please x

[eppsy]

I have just sat down and read all three chapters. . . And they are amazing. It would be ncie to read some more, because you are a great writer.

[tomsgirl]

What another fab update more please soon mikinare.

[maryg]

Great give us more please

[eppsy]

The Kings have to the best Emmerdale family. It was a pleasure to read, and it would be good if you could do some more Mikinare. x

[mikinare]

Thanks again for all the comments! They really inspire me to write more! Haha. I think this chapter sucks. I really couldn't write tonight. Apologise.

Chapter Four


Carl sat for the eighth time and listened to the cassette he had found in the envelope the boy had given him through the fence. The photographs were splayed across his unmade bed. He couldn’t stand to look at them without feeling nauseous and angry. The tape ended and he immediately reached forward and pressed rewind. Sighing deeply, he held his head in two hands. What the hell was he going to do now that he knew the truth?

As the clicking and whirling noises of the tape rewinding filled his room he untangled his crossed legs and stood up from the floor. Slowly he made his way over to his bed and forced himself to look down at the frozen images once again.

He knew exactly when they had been taken. Last weekend - when Matthew, Jimmy and Sadie had been at some party.

*Flashback*

“You look stunning.” Jimmy admired, watching his girlfriend put on her diamond earrings. He couldn’t believe this girl had actually said yes to going out with him. He had loved her from the very first moment he had set eyes on her. He didn’t deserve her. She was a goddess. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. She tutted and shook him off, irritated.

“We don’t have time for this. This party is everything. Important people will be there tonight and I don’t want you showing me up.”

Jimmy cleared his throat. “Of course I won’t. We’re a team.”

She gave him a disappointed look. “Maybe I should go with Matthew instead. He clearly is the brains of this family.”

“Are my ears burning?” Matthew sang and opened Jimmy’s bedroom door wide open. Jimmy and Matthew knew Sadie from school and their parents’ had always been good friends. It was only recently they had started to become friendly.

Matthew walked over and kissed Sadie’s cheek much to Jimmy’s annoyance. Instead of shoving him away like she did with her new boyfriend, she giggled and flicked her golden blonde hair.

“Oh Matt.”

“What’s your game?!” Jimmy growled pulling his younger brother’s shoulder.

“Calm down, Jimbo. Only being a gentleman.”

“Something you need to work on.” Sadie scowled. Matthew smirked at his older sibling.

“We’re getting picked up in ten minutes. Think you’ll be ready by then Sadie?” Matthew inquired. The girl smiled brightly.

“Of course.”

“Where are the kids?” Jimmy asked. He had appointed himself Carl and Max’s personal guardian as Tom had left for London for a couple of days – a business trip he had said. Matthew shrugged.

“Playing football out the back garden last time I looked.”

“Make sure Carl has money to get them both a take-out. They haven’t had anything to eat yet.”

“All right, Mary Poppins.” Matthew remarked and left the room.

Sadie finished coating her lips in lipstick and sauntered over to Jimmy.

“You show me up tonight Jimmy and we’re over. I mean that.”

“We’ve just started going out.” He exclaimed.

“But we’ve known each other for years. If this goes wrong, I swear, I’ll ruin you.”

Jimmy stared at Sadie in shock. He had never seen this ruthless side of her. Sadie, realising, she may have said too much, licked her lips and then placed her hands on her boyfriend’s shoulders.

“Don’t take it to heart, Jimmy. I’m just warning you that I want my man reliable. You know that. I can rely on you can’t I?” She leaned in close, whispering in his ear.

Jimmy’s nostrils were filled with her flowery scented perfume and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up when her lips grazed the bottom of his ear.

“Yes.” He choked out.

“Good. Now fix your tie and I’ll meet you downstairs. I just have to make a quick phone call.”


Carl remembered he had watched them all walk out the front door to the car that had been arranged to pick them up. He remembered how Matthew had guided Sadie down the drive way with a hand on her lower back and then slowly gliding down over her gold dress. He hadn’t thought anything of it. Just that Matthew was being a little too hands on, but that was just him for you. He treated girls like they were there to please him. Carl had laughed it off and actually thought it was pretty cool that Matthew was so confident around girls. Carl still blushed every time one of them asked him to walk them home from school.

Now it all made perfect sense. He picked up one of the photos and shook his head at the image. Matthew and Sadie on a bed, eyes closed and with pleasure sketched over their faces. Sadie’s dress could be clearly seen in a pile at the end of the bed along with Matthew’s shirt. The worst of it? A clearly wasted Jimmy, lying lifelessly adjacent to the bed with no clue what was taking place in the same room. All the photographs displayed the same thing. It was sick. How could Matthew treat his own brother that way?

The answer was on the tape that stopped rewinding and jolted Carl out of the daze he had slipped into.

He pressed play one more time, wishing the voices to be someone else and the words to be forgotten as a joke.

It began with some 80’s party tune, one that Carl would have snorted in disgust at if the situation wasn’t so serious. Then Sadie’s voice purring some obscene activity that she was about to endure on Matthew. It was enough to make Carl cringe all over. Next was Matthew laughing like he wasn’t betraying his brother’s trust. And then it was business and money. Two things that drove nearly every member of the King family.

It was revealed that the only reason Sadie was wasting her precious time on Jimmy was so he would tell her what Tom had said about the land he was buying and developing. It seemed Sadie’s father was after that piece of land and would do anything to acquire it, even using his own daughter. Sadie struck a deal with Matthew so that he could be involved with her family’s business and earn a lot of wealth and power by her hand. He just had to play along.

Carl’s hands rolled into tightly clenched fists. Play along? Betray their father and brother for some extra cash?

The tape played on as Sadie and Matthew agreed what the next stage of the plan was and how Sadie would talk round Jimmy. All Matthew had to do was steal some files from the office. Some tenders and a few photographs. Pretty easy work considering he was there every day.

This was all sick. It was wrong. He knew Matthew could be selfish and mean sometimes, but he was his big brother. He couldn’t ruin their family like this. Jimmy would be crushed and who knew what would happen to their dad’s business?

The tape ended and Carl felt anger course around his body. He knew what he had to do. He had to show Jimmy the photographs and let his dad listen to the tape. He wasn’t letting that cow get away with this. Maybe in time Matthew would be forgiven. Maybe.

“You’ve gone too far this time, Matt. I’m telling them the truth.” Carl said to himself as he removed the tape from his tape player.

Fear flooded the boy as he felt a presence in his room. He whirled around and found himself face to face with his older brother, Matthew.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

[maryg]

awwwwwwwwwww pooooooor Carl another good update

[eppsy]

That was great. Poor Carl getting mixed up in all this. More soon please? x

[missking]

aww no whats goin to happen to carl i love it post more really soon please

[tomsgirl]

Awww poor Carl I can't wait to find out what happens next.
More soon please mikinare I love your writing style & story.

[missking]

please post more really soon please x

[mikinare]

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I have exams going on right now and I'm just trying to focus on them. My last one is this week, so I'll get an update posted as soon as possible! <3

[missking]

thanks will look forward to it and hope ya exams go ok

[tomsgirl]

Good luck with your exams Mikinare x

[mikinare]

Thank you so much missking and tomsgirl! I am dedicating this post to you guys for wishing me well for my exams! Thank you!! <3 <3

This update is slightly shorter just cause I don't have much time. I hope it is okay. Feedback would make me very happy!! Haha. Thank you. =] =]

Chapter Five

“……..Matthew?” Carl stammered as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. I am going to die!

“Carl.” Matthew regarded him coolly. He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

“I thought I told you, under no circumstances, were you to open the package.”

Carl glanced at the photos on the bed guiltily and cradled the cassette tape into his chest.

“Um, well……” He couldn’t think up one excuse. Matthew moved towards him like a tiger stalking its prey. Carl’s fear was replaced with anger. His brother had betrayed the family! He swallowed the lump in his throat and found the courage to question his older brother.

“Why Matt? Why did you sleep with Sadie?” He blushed slightly. “Why did you betray dad? The business means everything to him!” His voice rose with each word.

“Shut up!” Matthew snapped. “Give me that tape NOW!”

Carl’s knees trembled. He had never seen his older brother this angry before.

“No.” He whispered. He couldn’t trust his voice to speak.

“What did you say?” Matthew growled.

“I’m…..I’m showing dad and Jimmy what you’ve done. They deserve to……” He never got to finish off his sentence. Matthew leaped at him and with a startled yelp Carl ducked under his brother’s arm. He made for the door, but Matthew was too quick and grabbed around his waist and dragged him back into the room.

“Carl! This isn’t a game! Give me it!”

“No!” He tried desperately to pry his brother’s arms from around his body, but it was no use. Matthew was a lot stronger than him. Matthew cursed and then lifted Carl clean off his feet and threw him on his bed. The photos that had been lying there scattered across the carpet.

Carl turned on his back, still clutching the tape. He had to bite his lip to stop himself squealing like a girl when his brother straddled his hips and grabbed one wrist. The look of fury on his older brother's face was enough to paralyse the teenager to the mattress. Carl watched with wide eyes as Matthew made a fist and aimed it at his stomach.

“No, Matt!” Carl pleaded. Matthew looked down at his little brother and something inside him broke, washing away the rage that had controlled him. As brothers, of course they had had their fair share of scrapes, but it was mostly play fighting or a slap over the head. Matthew had never actually punched his brother out of blind, overwhelming anger. Tears were collecting in Carl’s big round eyes and Matthew suddenly felt sick. He would never ever admit it, but taking care and protecting his younger brothers gave him meaning to his life. He always knew he would be needed when they were around. And now, here he was, threatening and terrifying one of them.

Matthew exhaled and dropped his fist. His hand landed on Carl’s rapidly rising and falling chest – inches from where he gripped the tape.

“Give me the tape, Carl.” Matthew said. His voice had lost the edge and the threat. It was quiet and calm, like he was asking for salt over the dinner table.

“I won’t let you double cross our dad.” Carl said stubbornly. Matthew sighed and ran his free hand over his hair.

“Everything isn’t always black and white, kid.”

Carl frowned.

“What does that mean?”

Matthew opened his mouth about to explain when the bedroom door opened.

“Matthew!” Sadie stalked into the room, closing the door behind her. “What are you doing?! I thought you were getting the…..” She came to a conclusion from the scene in front of her.

“What did he do?” Sadie pointed to Carl. Matthew’s grip tightened on Carl’s wrist.

“I have it under control. Where the hell is Jimmy?” Matthew growled. Sadie ignored him and caught sight of the photos on the floor. She shrieked in horror.

“You opened it! You little….” She marched towards Carl and slapped him across the cheek. It didn’t hurt much, but the embarrassment was like a punch in the gut.

“Hey! You didn’t need to do that!” Matthew yelled. Sadie glared at the older boy.

“Does he know?!”

Matthew licked his lips and looked at his younger brother, whose face was turning red.

“Yes, but he’s not going to say anything.”

Sadie eyed the tape in Carl’s hand and quick as a flash snatched it from him making sure to dig her nails into his tender skin as she did. Carl immediately started fighting against Matthew.

“Let me go!” Carl pounded his brother’s chest with his fist. “Get off of me! Give me the tape back!”

Matthew grabbed his other arm and looked at Sadie.

“Leave us a minute. I’ll get you in the TV room. Make sure Jimmy doesn't come up here.”

Sadie sneered at Carl and picked up all the photos on the floor.

“You say anything, boy, and I will make your life a living hell. I’ll get your dad to send you to boarding school. I swear I will. This is bigger than you’ll ever be able to understand.”

“Sadie, just go.” Matthew muttered. The girl whirled around and slammed the door behind her.

Carl stared at the door and then slowly back up at his brother.

“You’re betraying us for her?” He whispered. A tear slipped from his eye.

Matthew held both of Carl’s wrists in his hand and then gripped his little brother’s chin firmly.

“Listen to me. You do not say a word about this to anyone. Do you hear me? Not one word.”

Carl looked miserable and as another tear meandered down his face, Matthew suddenly felt like the world’s worst brother. He wiped the tear with the pad of his thumb.

“Just trust me.”

Then he pushed himself up off of the teenager and walked out the room. Carl turned onto his side and drew his legs up towards his chest. He hugged the pillow at his head and wished to god he could just run away from his stupid family and their stupid twisted ways.

[maryg]

awwwwwwwwwwwwww poor Carl , hope Matts double crossing sly sadie, good luck on your exams btw

[mikinare]

Thank you!! <3 <3

[missking]

awww thats right good poor little carl i am loving this story post more when you can please good look in your exams x

[eppsy]

OMG Matt is evil. Poor Carl. Good Luck In Exams.

That was a great Chapter. More soon please? x

[tomsgirl]

Well Mikinare what another fab update more please soon when you are not too busy with your exams I love your writing style.